Magazine catch and release



G. HAMMOND.

MAGAZINE CATCH AND RELEASE. APPLICATION FILED AUG.B, 191a.

INVEN TOR.

TTORNEY Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

YES

YET @i.

GRANT HAMMOND, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, OF ONE-THIRD T ALVA C. WASHBURNE, 0F PITTSFIFJLD, MASSACHUSETTS, AND ONE-THIRD TO FREDERICK G. CRANE, OF DALTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MAGAZINE CATCH AN D RELEASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 8, 1918. Serial No. 248,981.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, GRANT HAMMOND, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Magazine Catch and Release, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of devices employed for holding a magazine in place in an automatic firearm, and for releasing the magazine to permit it to be ejected from the firearm, and an object of my invention, among others, is to provide a device of this class that shall be extremely simple in construction, efiective in operation, and that shall be particularly durable.

One form of firearm embodying my invention, and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as well as others, may be attained, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a firearm embodying my invention, with parts broken away to show construction.

Figure 2 is a view in cross section through the frame on the plane denoted by dotted line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail view in vertical section through the receiver and frame on the plane denoted by dotted line 3--3 of Fig ure 1.

Figure 4% is a top plan view of the magazine.

Figures 5 and 6 are edge and side views of the same.

Figure 7 is a detail view, scale enlarged, of the magazine releasing means.

My invention illustrated and described herein has to do particularly with the magazine that is supported in'the handle of the firearm, and with a small portion of the receiver that is located in sliding contact with the upper edge of the frame including said handle, and for this reason the frame or handle and a small portion of the receiver are illustrated in detail herein, as the operation of the device will be readily understood from such showing by those skilled in the art. In said drawings the frame includes a handle 5 of any usual form and construction with a triggfir guard 6 at the front end of the frame. ips 7 are formed on pposite sides of the upper edge of the frame providing grooves 8 in which lips on the lower edge of the receiver 9 are located, the receiver thus being slidably attached to the frame. As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art forces generated by the explosion of cartridges in firearms are exerted to move the receiver the front edge of the magazine chamber,

this pin having a magazine catch 13 to engage a retaining notch 1 1 in the side of the magazine. A retaining spring 15 forces the catch into engagement with said retaining notch.

A magazine releasing lever 16 is pivotally mounted in a recess in the frame at one side of the magazine chamber, the edge of this lever being beveled to form a magazine releasing cam 17 that engages a magazine releasing notch 18 in the side of the retaining pin 12. v i I A magazine releasing slide 19 is supported for sliding movement in the lever 16, in the structure shown herein this slide having beveled edges fitting a clove-tailed shaped slot extending through the lever. A slide retaining pin 20 is secured in the lever and projects across said slot and into an elongated notch in the side of the slide to hold the latter in position but to permit a limited lengthwise movement thereof in the lever. A slot 21 is formed through the slide to receive a spring 22 that is seated against one end of the slot to force the slide in one direction. The opposite end of the spring thrusts against a sleeve 23 through which aguide rod 24 extends, this rod extending into a recess 25 in the lower edge of the lever 16 and also through a hole in the end of the magazine releasing slide. This rod may be held in place in the slide in any suitable manner.

The slide 19 has a positioning lug 26 pro- Patented Feb. "2, 1922.

jecting from one side to engage a positioning cam 27 on the upper end of the magazine 11. The follower 28in the magazine isseated upon a follower spring 29 in a manner common to magazines of this type of firearms. Said follower has a slide setting shoulder 30 to engage the lug 26 and thereby move the end of the magazine retaining slide upwardly into the path of movement of the receiver, this, however, only when the follower completes its up ward movement after the last cartridge in the magazine has been forced into the breech in the barrel of the firearm.

The engaging parts of the retaining pin 12 and lever 16 are preferably beveled so that said parts may be automatically disengaged, and this disengaging action will be aided by the force of the retaining spring 15. VVhenthus constructed said retaining pin will remain in its disengaging position only momentarily. The catch 13 is beveled so that when a magazine is inserted in its chamber its edge engaging said beveled surface will force the pin backward until the catch is opposite the opening let when the spring will snap the catch into holding position. Upon such insertion of the magazine the shoulder cam 27 will engage the positionin lu 2-6 and swing the lever 1.6 from engagement with the releasing notch 18, the parts being thus positively disconnected.

As the firing proceeds the follower will be gradually moved upwardly as the cartridges are fed one by one into the breech of the barrel. WVhen the last cartridge is forced into the barrel,the follower completes its movement engaging its slide setting shoulder 30 with the lug 26, thus moving the. slide with its upper end into the recess 32 and in the path of movement of the receiver. lVhen the last cartridge is fired, the receiver, moving backwardly a slight distance, carries the end of the slide with it and this operation rocks the lever 16 on its pivot, forcing the releasing cam 17 into the notch in the pin 12 and moving the latter to release the magazine. At this time the follower 28 rises a slight distance but not far enough to touch the lips 31 on the magazine, and the pressure of the follower spring 29 forces the follower against the lug 26. The slide carrying the lug being heldfrom upward movement and the follower, therefore, being at theupward limit of its play the force of the follower spring is exerted against the bottom of the magazine to eject it, the force of said spring being greater than that of the spring22 In somecases it may be desiredthat the magazine shall not be completely ejected from its chamber in thehandle, and I, therefore, providemeans for retaining the magazine after it has been pa-rtiallyremoved. In the structure shown herein a tit- 33 projects of the handle.

from the side of the magazine in position to engage an edge 34 of an opening in the side The spring qualities of the engaging parts will be such that the tit may be disengaged from the edge by the exertion of a little force upon the magazine to remove it.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described herein the principles of operation of my invention, together with the device which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the device shown is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means.

I claim:

1. A firearm including a frame, a receiver movably mounted on the frame, a magazine removably mounted in the frame, a-manually operated member for retaining the magazine in place, automatically operated means for actuating said manually operated member to release the magazine, and means for effecting operation of said parts in the backward movement of the receiver afterthe last cart-ridge has been fired.

2. A firearm including a frame, a magazine removably mounted in the frame, a manually operated retaining pin to hold the magazine in place, a magazine releasing lever to operate sald pm, and automatically operated means for actuating said lever to release the magazine.

3. A. firearm including a frame, a magazine removably mounted in the frame, a member to retain the magazine in place, a receiver movably mounted on the frame, and a connection between said receiver and retain ing member to operate the latter to release the magazine by reason of movement of the receiver.

4. A firearm including a frame, a magezine removably located in the frame, a mem ber for retaining the magazine in place, a receiver movably mounted on the frame, on actuating member to be operated by the movement of the receiver, and an operative connection between said actuating member and magazine retaining, member.

5. A firearm including a frame, a receiver movably mounted on the frame, a magazine removably located in the frame, a manually operated member to retain the magazine in place, a lever to engage said member to 0p-' and 1 aoaess it to release the magazine, a receiver movably mounted on the frame, and a connection between said lever and receiver to operate the lever by reason of movement of the receiver.

7. A firearm including a frame, a magazine removably mounted in the frame, means for retaining the magazine in place, a lever operatively connected with said means, a slide mounted in said lever, and means for actuating said slide to cause release of the magazine.

8. A firearm including a frame,'a magazine removably mounted in the frame, means for retaining the magazine in place, a lever pivotally mounted in the frame, a slide mounted in said lever, and a receiver movably mounted on the frame to engage said slide to effect release of the magazine.

9. A firearm including a frame, a magazine removably mounted. in the frame, a magazine retaining pin, a lever pivotally mounted in the frame to actuate said pin to release the magazine, a slide mounted in said lever, and a receiver movably mounted on the frame to engage said slide to actuate it.

10. A firearm including a frame, a magazine removably mounted in the frame, a member to retain the magazine in place, releasing mechanism including a slide operatively connected with said member, and

' means for connecting said slide with the follower of a magazine to subject said slide to the pressure of the follower spring and thereby to effect movement of the magazine by the action of said follower spring.

11. A firearm including a frame, a magazine removably mounted in the frame, a retaining member for said magazine, and releasing mechanism including a slide operatively connected with said retaining member, means on the slide to engage a magazine to position the slide, a follower to engage said slide, means to hold the slide in position to receive the force of the follower spring, and means for actuating the slide to release the magazine.

12. A firearm including a frame, a magazine removably mounted in the frame, a retaining pin for said magazine, and releasing mechanism including a slide, a lug on said slide to engage said magazine, a follower in the magazine to set the slide in the path of movement of the receiver, and a receiver movably mounted on the frame to operate said slide.

13. A firearm including a frame, a maga zine removably mounted on the frame, a member to retain said magazine in place, a lever to operate said member, a slide mounted in said lever, a lug on the slide to engage said magazine, a follower in the magazine to engage said lug and set the slide in the path of movement of a receiver, and a receiver slidably mounted on the frame to engage said slide to operate it to release the magazine.

14. A firearm including a frame, a receiver movably mounted on the frame, a magazine removably mounted in the frame, a manually operated member for retaining the magazine in place, a lever to engage said member to operate it, a member movably mounted on said lever to be projected into the path of movement of the receiver for actuation thereby, and means connected with the magazine to move said member into the path of movement of the receiver as the last cartridge from the magazine is being forced into the barrel.

GRANT HAMMOND. 

